Motivate Media Group and PublisHer join hands to forge a pathway for women in publishing

Life

The distance between academic study and professional publishing has long been an unspoken threshold that many women struggle to cross without the right network or direct access to a working newsroom, even in a city like Dubai with a vibrant media culture. In efforts to tackle this issue, a new partnership between Motivate Media Group and PublisHer aims to dismantle that barrier through a structured and immersive internship programme designed specifically for early and mid‑career women based in the UAE.

Named PublisHer Pathways, the four‑week initiative places cohorts directly inside Motivate’s Dubai offices located in Dubai Media City. Participants move through four departments in weekly rotations including editorial and content development, marketing alongside PR and audience engagement, advertising and sales and revenue models, and finally product and digital platforms with business strategy. Interns will get to work with designated teams actively, working alongside staff on real tasks, giving them invaluable experience and knowledge that is only gainable through in-person experienced like this. The programme also includes a senior industry masterclass, a guided visit to the printing press, individual mentorship from a Motivate team member, and a capstone project developed collaboratively and presented to leadership.

The agreement was signed at the House of Wisdom in Sharjah by Bodour Al Qasimi, founder of PublisHer, and Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor‑in‑Chief of Motivate Media Group. Two cycles will run per year with five women per cycle given the opportunity to work with the teams in-person. “PublisHer Pathways is a direct response to something we hear consistently from women across the industry – that the transition from education into professional publishing is harder than it should be and that access to real experience, inside real organizations, remains sporadic and uneven. I’m grateful to Ian and the whole Motivate team for having confidence in our mission and becoming the first to say yes,” Al Qasimi said.

That Motivate Media Group agreed to be the first publisher to back this initiative carries real significance. As the UAE’s leading publisher, the group operates across print, digital, video, events, cinema and out‑of‑home media across its Dubai headquarters and offices in Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and London.  “At Motivate, we believe the best way to understand publishing is to be part of it and to see how editorial, commercial and digital teams work together in real time. PublisHer Pathways gives participants that exposure, and in doing so, helps strengthen the next generation of talent coming into the industry,” Fairservice said.

Applications are now open via the PublisHer website until 30 June 2026 and will be assessed by a four‑member jury with two representatives from PublisHer and two from Motivate Media Group. Shortlisted candidates will be notified by 15 July, and the first cohort will commence on 3 August. Certification for the inaugural group will be presented in person at the Sharjah Booksellers Conference on 18 September 2026.

The first cohort will run as a pilot, yet the ambition remains for PublisHer Pathways to be adopted by publishing houses in other regions where members and allies can replicate the programme in their own markets. There are two positive conclusions that emerge naturally from this announcement. Graduates will not only receive a joint certificate and entry into the PublisHer Alumnae Network, but they will also gain hands‑on experience across revenue and digital functions that are often missing from academic training. More importantly, by limiting each cycle to just five participants and embedding direct mentorship into daily work, the programme prioritises depth and personalised guidance over mere optics, which makes a genuine difference for women who have long felt the gap between a degree and a desk in publishing.

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